Chicago weather: Memorial Day sunshine leads off a mild, gradually warming week
The Brief
Mostly sunny and cool today, with highs in the upper 60s
A warming trend begins Thursday, peaking over the weekend
Isolated showers possible Tuesday and again midweek
CHICAGO - Chicagoland is enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day with mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 60s—though it's cooler by the lake once again. Today marks the ninth straight day of below-normal temperatures.
What we know
Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with highs again in the upper 60s. While the day should stay mostly dry, there is a chance for isolated afternoon showers. The better chance for rain arrives Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with highs in the low 60s and a continued chance of scattered showers. That chance of rain could linger into Wednesday night and Thursday, though coverage and totals are still uncertain.
Thursday brings the start of a warming trend, with highs reaching the upper 60s under partly sunny skies. Temperatures will remain slightly below normal, but the pattern is shifting.
By Friday, more summer-like weather arrives. Expect mostly sunny skies and highs climbing into the upper 70s. The weekend will feel even better—Saturday will reach the low 70s with sunshine, and Sunday will warm into the upper 70s under partly sunny skies.
What we don't know
Forecast models differ on how widespread or impactful midweek showers may be, especially Tuesday night through Thursday. That system still bears watching.
The Source
Details for this story were provided by Fox 32 meteorologists Kaitlin Cody and Mike Caplan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Our View: As the heat spikes, so do drownings
Triple-digit temperatures are predicted for this weekend. Beyond that, the days are expected to be not much cooler. It is a reminder that the blistering Bakersfield summer has started, and residents and visitors will look to water for relief. But danger lurks in the many local swimming pools and the even bigger attraction, the Kern River. Urging pool safety during a recent press conference, Kern County health officials promoted the department's Water Watcher program, which calls for designating adults to always keep close tabs on children frolicking around backyard pools. They cited federal findings that drowning is the leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death for children ages 1 to 4. On average, 350 children under the age of 5 lose their lives to drowning every year in the United States. Within the past five years, 16 children in Kern County have lost their lives to drowning: two in the Kern River, two in bathtubs and 12 in swimming pools. In advance of the Memorial Day Weekend last month, county officials performed a grisly annual tradition — updating Kern Canyon entry signs to warn of the Kern River's danger. This year, the number of drownings posted on the signs went from 334 to 342. Eight people were taken by the Kern in 2024. Last year's July 4th holiday was particularly deadly. Four people drowned. The count, which began in 1968, doesn't include people who died in the upper Kern River, in Tulare County, which doesn't keep drowning statistics on its section of river. It also doesn't include people who are still missing and presumed dead in the river. 'We tell the public this every year: The Kern River is dangerous,' said Sgt. Rodney Jones, who oversees the Kern County Sheriff's Office's search and rescue division. 'Do not go in it without professional guides or gear.' The water is cold and deceptively fast with numerous hidden hazards — branches, rocks, debris — that can snag you, trap you and pull you under, he said. The division posts additional search and rescue teams on holidays along the river to respond to emergencies and remind people about the dangers. Asked if Kern officials would consider closing off the river, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood responded with a firm NO. 'The river is a public place and there's way too many access points for us to patrol,' he said. 'You can't legislate stupidity. If you need to be told to stay out of that river, there's something wrong with you.' Youngblood is right. It's up to all of us to heed repeated warnings and keep ourselves, families and friends safe. ■ Watch children closely. Never let them into the river unattended. ■ Do not go in the river if you can't swim. ■ Use adequate flotation devices, not drug store floaties. ■ Make sure someone in your party can contact 911. Service in the canyon is sketchy. ■ Alcohol (or other mind-altering substances) do not mix well with the river. Several river rafting companies operate along the Kern. They offer safe and varying trips — depending on people's interests and experience. SJV Water, a local news outlet that covers water issues, reports that with less snowfall this year, the river will be running lower than in recent past years. But even though the water flow is lower, Jones noted that most people are not able to climb out if they are trapped on a rock. As evidence, on Sunday a man was found dead in the river. The man had gone missing after swimming in Isabella Lake without a flotation device. Just a few days later, a teenage girl was rescued from a tree in the river at Hart Park, just 90 minutes after another person was rescued from the same area, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Office. They were brought to shore uninjured. Again, the Kern County Sheriff's Office urged the public to always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejacket when in or near the river. 'Despite appearing calm in some areas, the river's cold temperatures, swift currents and hidden hazards can quickly turn deadly,' KCSO once again warned in a news release.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
May 2025: A look back at last month's weather
Your StormTracker 59 team goes back into the weather files to highlight some of the most impactful weather of the month for May 2025: Warmest High Temperature: 81 degrees (May 1st) Coolest High Temperature: 54 degrees (May 26th) Coolest Low Temperature: 36 degrees (May 10th) Warmest Low Temperature: 61 degrees (May 16th) Overall, for the month of May, we were BELOW average. That's not so surprising considering how cold Memorial Day was! Our average May temperature is 61.3 degrees, and we ended up at 59.6 degrees for the month, which is 1.7 degrees below normal. May began on a warm note. The warmest temperature of the month occurred on May 1st at 81 degrees! However, eventually the colder weather set in. Outside of May 29th, the last ten days featured temperatures that were a good bit below normal and that was enough to sway the month to the below normal side. Of particular interest was the stretch from Friday, May 25th to Tuesday, May 27th, where three out of five days failed to see highs reach 60 degrees! In fact, we did not reach 70 degrees for a week straight from the 22nd to the 28th. Wettest Day: 0.73″ (May 13th) Number of Days with Measurable Rainfall: 18 out of 31 days May provided beneficial rains to many parts of the region that were flirting with drought at the beginning of spring. Most towns in May experienced above average rainfall, with Beckley coming in at about a half inch above normal at just over five inches. A lot of this rain came down quickly, however, which was not as beneficial to the water table. However, overall conditions related to drought did improve during the month of May. Memorial Day was one of the coolest holidays in recent memory! High temperatures were stuck in the 50s for most of the region. Beckley only reached 54 degrees officially! We should be in the low to mid 70s. The clouds, occasional sprinkles and overall gloom did not make for good boating or swimming weather to say the least. Launched in 2022, #WeatherTogether is a dedicated community photo album hosted by 59News and StormTracker 59 to allow viewers to submit weather photos directly to us that we can share on all our platforms on-air or online. These photos are also showcased in our web-based photo album on our site for all to see and enjoy! Any photo of interesting weather, storm damage, snowfall, pets playing in puddles or snow and the likes are all welcomed! We hope to use this to showcase the beauty of the two Virginias through the eyes of our viewers and the vastly dynamic weather we see because we think there is no place more beautiful than here. See for yourself the collection of photos already submitted or submit a few of your own, 2025 Monthly Review May 2024 Monthly ReviewCopyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘PWC Beach,' Echo Bay pipe mat latest Lake Mead improvements for boaters
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Lake Mead is 8 feet lower than it was a year ago, and officials are making more adjustments to help boaters who are ready to get out in the water this summer. After adding a new courtesy dock for personal watercraft adjacent to Hemenway Harbor just two weeks ago, the National Park Service (NPS) said this week it is adding another pipe mat at Echo Bay, along with adjustments to the courtesy dock there. Hemenway Harbor, the closest launch point to Las Vegas, will have reduced access this summer as NPS extends the boat ramp. Construction began June 2, and the launch ramp will be reduced to one lane. The courtesy docks will be reduced down by one half, according to an NPS web page summarizing the project. 'Personal Watercraft Beach,' or PWC Beach, was announced around Memorial Day as the summer season began. It's just north of the Hemenway Harbor ramp. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area Facilities team installed two Mobi-Mats, one on each side of the new courtesy dock. The mats are portable, and have been used in recent years to help boaters with changing conditions at the lake. Some boaters have complained that they won't use PWC Beach because they don't want to drive through the dirt, but they won't have any other option nearby. 'All jet skis must launch at PWC Beach during construction,' according to a May 31 social post. Summer is the busiest time for boaters, but it's also the best time for construction, NPS said. 'Water level projections for the 2025 summer boating season are favorable for construction, allowing dive and contract teams to perform underwater and shoreline work safely and efficiently at the launch ramp. Summer and fall are generally the best times for this type of underwater construction work,' NPS said. As of noon Wednesday, Lake Mead's surface was at 1,056.59 feet, compared to 1,064.81 feet on June 15, 2024. While that drop is a bit alarming, it's better than projections last year that expected the lake to be down another 3 feet, at 1,053.56 feet. The lake typically hits its low point in July each year. On July 27, 2022, the lake hit its lowest point since it was filled in the 1930s, dipping to 1,041.71 feet above sea level. At Echo Bay, crews were scheduled to do the work on Wednesday, June 4, and finish before the end of the day. The upgrades will extend and widen the ramp for safer, easier boat launching, NPS said. Officials noted that the right launch lane remains closed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
